Anyone wants to play secret Santa?

Thought I'll indulge a little and post a partial book wishlist - partial, because a complete list will probably be never-ending! :-p I'll also just stick to Christian books on this one. Now, who wants to buy me any of the following, or at least contribute an Amazon gift voucher...

If it's in italics, that means that given the opportunity, I'll be sorely sorely tempted to get it.

A good evangelical NT intro - this is the one I'm eyeing.
Beginning to think that having an NT intro would be useful, and people have been nothing but positive about this one by Kostenberger et al.; at the very least, on par with Carson/Moo.

FAQS, ed. Alison Mitchell
Youth work is definitely a possibility for the future, but I've never really done any reading in this area. This is apparently a very good intro book.

Making sense of the Bible by H.H. Drake Williams III
An intermediate-level book tracing 10 themes (eg. covenant, Holy Spirit) through Scripture.

God the Peacemaker by Graham Cole
Latest in the New Studies in Biblical Theology series, looking at the impact of the cross at both personal and cosmic levels.

The Power of words and the wonder of God, eds. John Piper and Justin Taylor
The theme of the Desiring God 2008 conference in book format

The Trellis and the Vine, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne
Brand new from Matthias Media on the nature of Christian ministry and discipleship-making.

Anything by Tim Keller
I actually don't own a single Keller book. His latest, Counterfeit Gods, is near the top of my wishlist, but any Keller book, I reckon, is worth owning.

Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh
I've actually been following the development of this book for a while now about a topic I'm very interested in - I've always hoped to write a long post/series of posts about this at some point. I've even entered a draw hoping to win a free copy (results pending), but if I don't get it, I'm sure I'll still buy this one.

Christ's victory over evil, ed. Peter Bolt
To be honest, this book might be too heavyweight for me at the moment, but I reckon this will still prove valuable at some point.

A book that has yet to be written, to my knowledge...
A thoughtful, insightful look into parent-children relationships from an Asian Christian perspective. To be fair, I do know someone who is at the moment working on a project that might explore this.

OK, I'll stop here, already feeling guilty over book envy.

How to worship

How I know I'm not in the new creation yet

Nyamuk Nyamuk Nyamuk
Musuh kita semua*

*"Mosquitoes our common enemy", from a government jingle from ages ago promoting a campaign to eradicate places for mosquito breeding.

Ah Long sequel

This is one of my favourite videos of all time - Malaysian humour at its best. Long story short: kept me sane when I was taking my Finals exams 3 years ago now. Then I found out yesterday there was a sequel! Here it is: Ah Longs advertising Balsam Welding! (Probably should watch the first video beforehand)



Apologies to non-Malaysians, this is all going to appear very strange to you...

Another to file under "Truth Stranger than Fiction"

Dr. Burk Parsons, who works with R.C Sproul at Ligonier Ministries and Tabletalk Magazine - which some of my readers will know as a formidable bastion of Reformed theology - was an original Backstreet Boy! Yes those Backstreet Boys. With Brian, Nick, AJ and Howie. Really.

It gets better. He was then offered a chance to form NSync. Yes, the one with Mr. Sexy Back.

R.C Sproul and boy bands? You couldn't make this up. Btw, the whole interview in 4 parts with established Reformed blogger Challies is worth a read.

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

Boxes

From Epilogue TV

Snow

Two figures, St. James Park; a snow-covered Soho Square in London. [Pics from Times Picture Gallery]

It's not uploaded on my computer, but I had a snowball fight this morning, and got to see my first snowman (never had enough snow to see one built before)!

What kind of preacher are you?

HT: Jared Wilson

"The Contemporary"
Sermon prep includes perusing movie clips because, well, there's so much spiritual truth to be found in there.

"The Spirit-Led"
Prepares only one quarter of the message because the rest is sure to come on Sunday.

"The Artist"
Brainstorms what kind of objects can be handed out at the entrance to confuse the attenders until the sermon reveals their purpose.

"The Exegeter"
Uses a dictionary to prepare for sermons because the audience surely wants to know the correct definition of a word before it is expounded upon.

"The Verse by Verse"
It's Easter, but gosh darn it, you're in Habakkuk by God's sovereignty, so Habakkuk it is.

"The Ranter"
Can somehow insult the congregation week after week, but they like it and come back for more, because of an off-the-charts likability factor.

"The Nooma"
Frequently supplements sermons with melancholy video segments that feature themselves musing on subjects in interesting locations.

"The Visionary"
Somehow every sermon ends with the same application - the church's short-coming to reach the entire city for Christ - regardless of how the message starts out - stewardship, marriage, worry, doesn't matter.

:)

Got another 10 minute talk to prepare for next week; again, for preaching workshop. Except this time, it's on Numbers 17 or 18! Help!!!

Before and after?!

This ad amuses me to no end. Somehow, I don't think any skin lotion is that potent...


Don't you just love the disclaimer? :D

Top 10 food scenes in children's lit

here. Anyone who's read Enid Blyton will remember all those midnight feasts and ginger ale!

(HT: Sharon L)

Random meme

OK, OK, I'll do your meme, Deb. :-p Sigh, isn't this a serious blog? Are you sure you didn't mean the blues crooner? 'Cause this meme's making me all bluesy...no no, just kidding.

But firstly, should mention this post: Art, Nudity and Sex and the City, which I noticed after they linked to my SatC post. It's a good one.

Meme time:

1. Were you named for anyone?
My dad apparently took a liking to the name of an Irish king and hence, my name, which apparently means hill or strong or noble or something along those lines.

And you have no idea how many times my nickname has inspired the Burger King joke. I should eat there for free considering the free publicity they get.

2. When was the last time you cried?
No idea, but I'm sure it was this year.

3. Do you like your handwriting?
Sure. It's not too bad, although my mum begs to differ. Interestingly, apparently I write Chinese characters beautifully, although I don't know what they mean most of the time.

4.What is your favourite lunchmeat?
With Deb here, it's definitely pork.

5. Do you have kids?
I'll be worried if I had any I didn't know about!

6. Would you be friends with you?
Errr....I don't know really. I always thought that I'm a bit of a boring person. But I've always had an interesting variety of friends. Anyway, ask my friends on this score.

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Er, not really, I don't think so. But I do like ideas of inversion so often found in irony.

8. Do you still have tonsils?
Should do, unless aliens took them away.

9. Would you bungee jump?
Actually, I hate to admit it, but probably not.

10. What is your favourite cereal?
Honey Stars!

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
No. Have you seen my shoes?

12. Do you think you are strong?
Er, again, ask my friends. Although I've survived Finals, I've survived mugging, I've survived a robbery, I've survived a depression in the family. But really, that's God grace, isn't it?

13. What is your favourite ice-cream?
I don't know much about ice-cream, but I do remember liking Haagen-Daas Pralines and Cream.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people?
Not sure. Possibly their mannerisms or speech.

15. Red or pink?
Red.

16. What is your least favourite thing about yourself?
I would like more courage, I think. I'm non-confrontational, which can backfire when a conflict requires facing it head on, and working through my feelings more.

17. Who do you miss the most?
I think it's my 2 good friends cum movie-buddies from Oxford days, especially as I know we'll never be able to re-enact such moments again. But I think I might miss S too, who has invested in a friendship with me in the past 2 years and did look genuinely disappointed when he discovered tonight that I'll be on the move from London in a couple of months.

18. What colour pants and shoes are you wearing?
Brown, no shoes.

19. What was the last thing you ate?
Mango.

20. What are you listening to right now?
Radio isn't on; just the sound of the cars whizzing by on the main road. I think the last track played on this computer was Leigh Nash's Ocean Sized Love.

21. If you were a crayon what colour would you be?
Blue? Cyan? Something not overly flashy.

22. Favourite smells?
The ocean. After the rain. And actually, nicely done-up hotel rooms, if you know what I mean. Oh, and cats. And any kind of tasty food.

23. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
JT (no, not that one), wanting to know if "I've been hired!"

24. Favourite sports to watch?
I love watching most sports. Basketball, football, badminton, tennis. I can even watch golf if I have nothing else to do. But I draw the line at lawn bowls, and I don't understand cricket.

25. Hair colour?
Red and gold....no, just kidding. Black. I think people would be concerned for the state of my soul if I ever dyed my hair.

26. Eye colour?
Brown

27. Do you wear contacts?
Nope.

28. Favourite food?
Tough one. I really like my mum's ang zhou bak though. And next time I'm home, kampua mee is first on the list!

29. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings. Which, btw, should be differentiated from sappy ones.

30. Last movie you watched?
I rented Michael Clayton recently on DVD, and I have to say it was superb. I recommend it.

31. What colour t-shirt are you wearing?
Gray.

32. Summer or winter?
Summer.

33. Hugs or kisses?
Hearty bearhugs are great!

34. Favourite dessert?
I don't really do desserts much, but British desserts are generally nice, whether it's toffee pudding or banofee pie or apple crumble. Just as long as there's not too much of it.

35. What book are you reading now?
As usual, more than one - very bad habit. There's a fascinating one by the Harvard neuroscientist Steven Pinker called The Stuff of Thought, which I picked up at half-price. I've also been dipping into Ajith Fernando's Jesus-Driven Ministry and Tim Harford's The Undercover Economist. Oh, and I've finished The Poisonwood Bible.

36. What is on your mousepad?
My mousepad is a newsletter.

37. What did you watch on TV last night?
I don't own a TV, but last Thursday, I borrowed one so that I could stay up late and watch Game 4 of Boston Celtics-LA Lakers, which was a real treat for me as it's the first time in years I've watched an NBA game. It was worthwhile too, as the Celtics made one of the biggest comebacks in Finals history. I think I'll stay up for Game 6 tomorrow too.

38. Favourite sounds?
You know the atmospheric sounds you hear on crime shows when the cops are just crusing around the city? Or to put it another way, if you've ever listened to Death Cab for Cutie's Brothers on a Hotel Bed or U2's City of Blinding Lights? No, you don't know what I'm talking about? :( Well, I like that. I like things that have a rhythmic quality to them too. A nice poetic couplet read out loud is good.

39. Beatles or Rolling Stones?
Beatles. I know more of their songs.

40. What is the farthest you've ever been from home?
I think Stockholm might be it. That also happens to be one of my favourite holidays.

41. Do you have a special talent?
Can't think of any. Well, a friend of mine used to say: "Your diplomacy is amazing!" but I don't think that counts as a special talent.

Deb, whis is this meme so long? And why, yarn? I've suffered through it, so you better be suffering with me too!


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Pick-a-veep!

This made me laugh.

After my deep and wide-ranging survey of the political landscape, which took all of 5 seconds, I think Obama should pick either Joe Biden, Bill Richardson or Wesley Clark.

For McCain, I think Condi Rice is the most capable, but she suffers from being too closely tied to the Bush administration.

Britain's Got Talent 2008

This show's been as compelling as ever. I have to say, after watching the initial auditions, I was underwhelmed. There didn't seem to be as many unique and outstanding acts as last year, and just as disappointingly, even fewer so-bad-they're good trainwrecks. But in the end, I actually thought the Final was stronger this year. The eventual winner George Sampson, a breakdancer, who was also on last year's show, won me over with his fighting spirit, which was even more impressive considering he was not considered a top-2 act going in. (The bookmakers, rather mystifyingly, had listed the contemporary-classical music act Escala as the favourites).

Faryl Smith, whom I shall lazily describe as the next Charlotte Church, was second-favourite to win, and her absence from the top three can only be put down to the British public's decision to opt for something different after Paul Potts' win last year. It seems to me that this show attracts quite a lot of strong classical music acts - apart from Smith and Escala, there was also Andrew Johnson this year.

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure:

There was one great trainwreck - an escape act gone wrong...


Faryl Smith's initial audition. Her family almost pulled her out before the semis over fears that the attention would be overwhelming. Simon Cowell was on the phone in a flash!


Signature, the eventual runners-up:


I can see why they didn't win, but I enjoyed them all the same - Kate and her dog Gin doing James Bond:


George Sampson, the winning act:


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The One Movie Meme

Sorry for the recent lack of posts - I've had other things on my mind apart from blogging recently. Didn't feel like writing anything particularly weighty today, so although I wasn't tagged for this meme, I thought it'd be fun to do it anyway!

1. One movie that made you laugh
Hot Fuzz

2. One movie that made you cry
Grave of the Fireflies

3. One movie you loved when you were a child
Lion King

4. One movie you’ve seen more than once
Lost in Translation

5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it
Mean Girls - it's great on the pack mentality of high school!

6. One movie you hated
A Lot Like Love

7. One movie that scared you
It

8. One movie that bored you
Ang Lee's The Hulk

9. One movie that made you happy
Any Pixar film really

10. One movie that made you miserable
Monster's Ball

11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see
Any of the Saw movies, and I have no desire to rectify that!

12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with
Juno Macguff in Juno (Ellen Page)

13. The last movie you saw
Paprika

14. The next movie you hope to see
Possibly Iron Man

I'm meant to tag 5 people, but I won't. But if you do it, let me know in the comments!

Dilbert on interviews

Dilbert.com

24 circa 1994

What if Jack Bauer had to play the hero in the mid-90s?



Always good to get some perspective...

Some needed levity

Jobs and life... (Click for larger image)

This was fun!

85

Elections: facts, figures, quotes

With thanks to Malaysiakini and Malaysia Votes.com.

Barisan Nasional only gained about 51 percent of the popular vote from the 7.9 million ballots cast on Saturday.

However, it took 63 percent of the seats contested - or 140 of 222 seats in Parliament.

Interestingly, its peninsula-wide popular vote was only 49.79 percent, which effectively means that the opposition received the majority vote in this part of the country.

The New Straits Times said the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition - made up of 14 race-based parties - achieved 51.2 percent of the popular vote after support from ethnic Chinese plunged from 65 percent to 35 percent.

Backing from the smaller ethnic Indian community plummeted from 82 percent to 47 percent, while the number of Malays, who form the coalition's bedrock, fell from 63 percent to 58 percent.

The youngest candidate was PKR’s Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is 26. He defeated Seri Setia incumbent Seripa Noli Syed Hussin.

The largest majority was won by DAP’s Teresa Kok against BN’s Carol Chew, by 36,492 votes in the Seputeh parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur.

The smallest majority was just 14 votes for BN’s Hamdi Abu Bakar who beat Abu Bakar Haji Hussain of PAS in the Pengkalan Baharu state seat in Perak.

Prominent blogger Jeff Ooi - whose campaign was done online and funds were raised through his website - won the Jelutong parliamentary seat in Penang for DAP.

Other bloggers are Tony Pua (DAP, Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat), Elizabeth Wong (PKR, Bukit Lanjan state seat) and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR, Seri Setia state seat).

The full team from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry all lost in the polls.

All top MIC leaders were wiped out - president, deputy presidents, two vice-presidents, women's chief and youth chief (one of the three vice-presidents, KS Nijar, did not contest).

"Prior to the elections, Barisan Nasional had kept on telling people to show their dissatisfaction through the ballot box. Now they have really shown it." - PPP president Datuk M. Kavyeas

"In the years to come, convincing younger voters to support a party purely on communal grounds will become tougher. A two-party system seems likely to evolve from the outcome of this general election. The first page of the new Malaysian political era opens today." - Wong Chun Wai, Star editor-in-chief.

"The race-based system is breaking down. The government is not looking so representative... and may have to re-engineer itself to be much more cognisant of this shift in the way people are voting" - Johan Saravanattu, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Saravanamuttu said the dominant Umno, which leads the coalition, would have to do a radical rethink about how it could become more inclusive to face the new challenge posed by PKR.

Silliest comment of the day goes to former Information Minister Zainuddin Maddin:
"It is not that they love PKR or PAS more that they voted against me.

The Chinese showed their resentment because of the economic backlash they often complained about. So, PAS and PKR should not be overly proud of their win (in Kedah).

The people may have to pay a price for their decision."
Completely missed the point.

"It’s also significant because the revolt is very multi-racial, and it’s taking place in urban areas throughout. But in the remaining states, some of the old patterns (of voting) remain, which means that the ‘tsunami’ (of change) has not reached the entire country. Sabah and Sarawak, meanwhile, seem to be on a trip of their own and are rather unpredictable.

The other significant thing is that (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim had his ear to the ground better than any other political analyst. He was the only one who thought that something like this could happen. He was most astute in reading and understanding the Malay mind. He read it correctly...

This demonstrates that we are moving into a middle ground that needs to be consolidated. This middle ground has candidates who are very conscious about bridging the gap and about being non-racial. All said and done, the BN has racially-exclusive component parties but now we have political entities which are actually multi-racial in composition and orientation."
- Dr. Francis Loh, political scientist, USM

"The fact that so many independent candidates and so many new faces have come to the fore shows that the Malaysian public has grown weary of the old faces, the old discourses and the old mode of politics in the country. We are now a more complex and plural society than before and we need to forge a new politics that reflects this diversity and pluralism.

We need and want a new Malaysian politics where merit, equality, fairness and accountability prevail. The Malaysian people will no longer tolerate empty promises, discredited politicians, bankrupt politics, cronyism, nepotism and abuse of power. The Malaysian nation wants the country back. We will no longer surrender our future to politicians and elites alone."
- Dr. Farish Noor, Malaysian public intellectual, author of The Other Malaysia

"In the lead-up to the election, the trend with the ethnic Indian and Chinese electorate was a huge protest vote against the BN. There was substantially less fear of an Islamic state. Within the Malay ground, the original assumption was that the Malay electorate was with the BN. Malay support for the BN was comfortable at the point when the election was called.

From the dissolution of Parliament till nomination day, the bickering and horse-trading between Umno candidates started the erosion in Malay support. During the campaign period, the erosion increased because the BN’s communication strategy was out of tune with the electorate. In the final days of campaigning, there was further erosion because the BN went on the attack. The attack on Anwar and the belated attempt to go on an offensive further pushed the Malay electorate away from the BN.

Malay support for the BN is split. In a lot of areas, the support for the BN was not much more than 55%, while in places like Kelantan, the BN support from the Malays was much less. Of course, internal and local factors also come into play. Then on polling day, Malay turnout rates were lower than expected."
- Ibrahim Suffian, programmes director of Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research

"Finally, a word for Umno. It would be foolish to write them off as a spent force. They'll still be running this country, and if they are smart enough, they'll retool, haul themselves into the 21st century and remain a potent force.

If they don't resort to any hanky-panky in the coming days, they'll deserve praise for respecting the country's democratic system despite all the ills that have diseased this grand old party."
- letter to Malaysiakini

"The challenge for the opposition in the coming months and years is a huge one. There will be many more ways to fail in this challenge than to succeed.

The parties have to be always vigilant, honest and humble. Their members will not be exempt from frequent visits by the demons of human weaknesses.

But the same people who have put them there can as easily reverse the decision if they should betray the faith. Checks and balances are essential for any system of government.

Whatever their political persuasions may be, Malaysians will benefit from the change. Let us all get down to hard, honest work."
- Yeo Yang Poh, former Bar Council President


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Hermeneutics quiz

This was an interesting hermeneutics quiz (how we read our Bibles) designed by Scot McKnight (HT: Lim Kar Yong - who is such a liberal! How can we let such ppl teach in seminaries one... :-p)

"Ever wonder how two people can look at the same passage of the Bible and come away with such different applications? The ways we interpret the Bible, and what enters into our process of applying the Bible, are important for us to be aware of. Without this self-awareness, we can have blind spots in our Bible reading and not even know it."

This quiz "is designed to clarify how you understand the Bible and how you apply it. Some people will quibble with the categories in the quiz or insist on more than one answer. That’s okay. No test like this can reveal all the nuances needed, but broad answers are sufficient to benefit from taking the quiz."

I scored 57, which apparently means I'm a moderate (53-65). The other categories are "conservative" and "progressive". According to McKnight, moderates "are conservative on some issues and progressive on others. It intrigues me that conservatives tend to be progressive on the same issues, while progressives tend to be conservative on the same issues. Nonetheless, moderates have a flexible hermeneutic that gives them the freedom to pick and choose on which issues they will be progressive or conservative [makes me sound wishy-washy! -BK]. For that reason, moderates are more open to the charge of inconsistency. What impresses me most about moderates are the struggles they endure to render judgments on hermeneutical issues."

There were some answers I found very hard to pick actually, and some where I was not entirely happy with the language used, but McKnight did acknowledge as much. I still think my answers actually make me a conservative, and that those who hold to literalistic readings of the Bible be better called "fundamentalists".

The question on tattoos reminded me that I was at quite a different place eons ago. When I was 15 or 16 I remembered being at a youth camp where I was a small group leader for the first time. Somehow we ended up having a conversation on whether it was Christian to have tattoos or not and I remember trying to push my group, asking them if it was okay to have a "John 3:16" tattoo. Then I read out Leviticus 19:28. We all then agreed that it was settled, no tattoos, whatever the tattoo proclaims! I feel sheepish thinking about it now...

So what are you?

For George

Kind of miss the cat. Even if he sometimes thinks he's the centre of the universe. Don't we all? :-p